Just about to have an interview for Gwangju English Village but don't know much about it or about English Villages in general - anyone got any info? Just want to see if it's worth getting excited about the job!

You will probably have to teach the exact same class with the same activities and same speech patterns for 120 times per month. They don't rotate teachers very well. That is the huge negative. It gets very repetitive very quickly.

On the plus side, the classes can be fun sometimes and you get to meet lots of kids.

Another negative is you may have to live on Campus in a dorm style room. That sucks.

You will work with lots of foreigners which can be good and bad. If they are crazy (and some usually are) it is bad. There were fistfights among the foreign teachers at my village. But there are some cool foreigners as well. It basically feels like you are in high school again, which can be good and bad.

Just about to have an interview for Gwangju English Village but don't know much about it or about English Villages in general - anyone got any info? Just want to see if it's worth getting excited about the job!

hey just wondering how you got on at English Village, did you stil go for it?

Then I got a letter from Stanley Nikosi, saying "you are to report at Gwangju tomorrow, that is 31st of march 2010 at exactly 2pm for the camp."

What is this, an English camp for the students or a boot camp for the employees?

Just turn up for work boy (I know you are almost 40 years older than me) and don't question the authority of the English village, not hot foot it son, go, go, go. while you're at it, down and give me 20!!!!

I actually work at Gwangju English Village... I just fill in from time to time when they need extra teachers. I really like working there, mostly because the teachers who run it are super cool. It's not incredibly hard work, just making the kids happy and doing different role plays with them. BUT... I know the teachers who are there now are leaving soon, and they are getting new management who want to really amp up the volume on the number of classes/ kids they have visit. So I'm not sure if I would take that job.

The other thing is that the village is in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. It is not in Gwangju. So once you are out there you are stuck. No buses even! The management will pick you up at your apartment in Gwangju everyday and drive you, but I really don't like the idea that you can't go home in an emergency. I would probably say don't take this job, but who knows, it could be really good still. If you do, I might meet you!

Joined: 31 Jan 2003Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:21 pm Post subject:

the ireland wrote:

Just turn up for work boy (I know you are almost 40 years older than me) and don't question the authority of the English village, not hot foot it son, go, go, go. while you're at it, down and give me 20!!!!

I got a job somewhere else, though.
After a whole month of job-hunting, I finally got a choice between two jobs.
Someone who works there, please keep in touch, so I'lll know what I'm missing.

hey just wondering how you got on at English Village, did you stil go for it?

Hey, kinda forgot about thread until now. So as you can guess, no we didn't take it. We did and bit of research and googling and got in contact with an ex-teacher who advised against it. Even though the couple who interviewed us were really nice and said the mangement had changed, there were just a few too many bad reports and the timing didn't 100% suit anyway.

Now we've gone the complete other direction to the english village route and are in for EPIK Fall 2010

hey just wondering how you got on at English Village, did you stil go for it?

Hey, kinda forgot about thread until now. So as you can guess, no we didn't take it. We did and bit of research and googling and got in contact with an ex-teacher who advised against it. Even though the couple who interviewed us were really nice and said the mangement had changed, there were just a few too many bad reports and the timing didn't 100% suit anyway.

Now we've gone the complete other direction to the english village route and are in for EPIK Fall 2010

U dodged a bullet there, seriously, that place was a nightmare, good luck in the fall!!

I've worked there. I don't recommend it. The slander laws are in favor of the slandered in Korea because of the culture, but please hear me when I say, that I do not suggest going. If you have specific concerns you may PM me.

Last edited by supateacha on Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:53 pm; edited 3 times in total